One of the sciences considered as the oldest that exists and also considered as one of the branches within biology is the ecology. Since the human being began to observe nature to look for lacquer plants to feed, hunt or find places to settle and that had the necessary resources, ecology began to exist. Later, with the development of technology and the need to discover and learn more about our planet, it became a science.
In this article we are going to tell you what ecology is, its main characteristics and the differences between ecology and environmentalism.
What is ecology
It is about the science that studies the relationship that exists between living beings with the environment in which they inhabit. It could be summarized in this concept. However, it is one of the most complex and complete branches of science. The definition of ecology can be quite simple but the object of study very complex. That is to say, it aims to study how the environment influences its distribution, abundance, biodiversity, behavior and all the interactions that exist between different species and the modifications that can be caused in the environment.
As you might expect, all these study objectives are quite complex as they have great dynamics. Stability in these concepts is something more abstract. We cannot number some environmental behaviors. The levels of study of ecology differ in: organisms, populations and population communities is that make up ecosystems. There are some branches that also focus on the study of the biosphere in general.
Unlike other branches of biology with which genetics, evolution, physiology and ecology are directly related, among others, we have ecology as a central discipline. And it is a science that differs from the rest since its approach is focused on the birth rate, mortality, immigration and how they affect the distribution of species, populations and the evolution of communities.
Researchers of this science
The first researcher who had ecology was Haeckel in 1869. Some of the most important ecologists in all of history are Ramón Margalef and Eugene P. Odum. These scientists are considered the Fathers of modern ecology. However, before ecology had its own space, there were some naturists who contributed great discoveries and observations. Some of them were the Count of Buffon, Alexander von Humboldt, Darwin, Lamarck ...
The whole history of nature is full of psychologists who have been describing the workings of the world. For practical purposes, we can say that ecology will seek to explain the complete functioning of all nature.
Differences between ecology and environmentalism
One of the fundamental aspects that is often confused in modern society is ecology and environmentalism. The environmental movement is more of a philosophy of life than a science. This continuous confusion that exists in the media and in everyday language generates some problems in scientific communication. For this reason, it is important to be clear about what ecology is and that it studies as a science and that it does not involve any and biology but is based on the scientific method.
There are some sciences that they are important for the study of ecology as is edaphology. It is the science that studies soil conditions and their characteristics to provide information on the growth potential of plants and animals. Meteorology helps to know the distribution of temperature and rainfall to better understand the climate of an area. On the other hand, ecology also needs science such as mathematics and statistics to be able to create models in the behavior of communities and populations.
All this indicates that ecology is a very complex science that must be nurtured by other sciences in order to give explanations. However, environmentalism is an ideology that is about respect or nature, the reduction of the environmental impact produced by degrading activities, etc. It is a movement that seeks to reduce human impacts on the ecosystem. It also seeks to safeguard natural resources so that future generations can take advantage of resources as we know them today.
What ecology studies
Ecology is a science that studies the relationship between living things and the physical environment in which they live. It also studies the very interactions between various species. We can say that within an environment in which species inhabit we separate physical factors and biological factors. Physical factors are those such as temperature, solar lighting, humidity, etc. Biological factors are the relationship with other species that inhabit the same environment. For example, we can point to the relationship between printed predators as a biological factor.
The exchanges in the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems are also the objective of the study of ecology. Other aspects that ecology studies are biogeochemical cycles, trophic chains or the production and productivity of an ecosystem. All these objectives are brought together at different levels of study. Let's analyze what they are:
- Organism level: ecology studies how individuals are affected by the physical and biotic environment.
- At the population level: ecology focuses on the presence or absence of certain species. It also analyzes abundance and scarcity and how the number of individuals of a species fluctuates over time. For this you need mathematical and statistical models.
- At the community level: studies the composition and structure of the communities and the functioning of the same. Variables such as the displacement of energy through flows, the contribution of nutrients and other chemical products through the communities are pointed out here. Communities can be studied by observing populations and applying their characteristics at a comfort level.
It can be said that ecology is emerging as a fundamental science to try to predict changes in ecosystems. Many of these changes are related to human activities. I hope that with this information you can learn more about what ecology is and its importance.